Science is So Sexy is 5!

My Dear Sexy Readers,

My little Sexy blog is 5 today!

I started this blog after going to a talk by a lady from Sense about Science about Standing Up for Science! I was inspired to create my own platform where I could lay down answers to my Science questions and my friends/readers' Science questions.

It has grown into this beautiful blog and inspired me to make a career in healthcare communication!

I was a Research Scientist 5 years ago, I am now a Senior Medical Writer, and it's all thanks to the experience I've gained writing for you guys.

Recently, someone asked me to write a little bit about myself and my love for Science as part of her blog series Ladies Who Lab (if you'd like to read it, it's here)
The response has been amazing!!

Science is So Sexy also made me discover the extraordinary life of our gut flora and their impact on our health, mental and physical.
Since January, I've been blogging weekly on My Bugs And I and have been reposting some of them over here as well.

I hope you can follow me over there too, so...

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Summer Giveaway: Win an Amazon's Best Seller!

Summer is finally here!!!

We can enjoy those gardens, pimm's, flip flops and dresses we bought at the last sale...

There's so much to do during July and August, between summer camps for big kids and playgrounds for the little ones, juggling with work and nursery drop offs and pick ups, organising summer BBQs and parties, celebrating weddings and birthday parties, I admit blogging is a bit far down the list of priorities... And I haven't even mentioned the two weeks away for a beach holiday with the preparations beforehand and the tidying up afterwards!!!

So, what I'm trying to say is that I've had to make the difficult decision to take a summer blogging break! Sniff... I know...

But while this is happening, let's have a GIVEAWAY!!! And I'm feeling generous...

You know the rules...

T&C's

- The giveaway will run from 10th July until 31st August 2016 and hosted on MyBugsAndI.com
- One winner will receive Ella Woodward's book 'Deliciously Ella every day' and 2 Giffgaff sim cards
- One winner will receive Rachel Kelly's 'Walking on sunshine: 52 small steps to happiness' and 2 Giffgaff sim cards
- One winner will receive 2 Giffgaff sim cards
- You need to be 18 or over
- UK residents only
- No automated entries

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone and Happy Summer!!!

PS: Let me know in the comments which book you would prefer, should you be one of the winners! Good luck!

The prizes' images are affiliate links.

What's GBS infection?

My Dear Sexy readers,

This is a post I wrote for my other blog My Bugs And I but I thought you Sexy guys might be interested too.

This is actually Part II of the question I was asking myself: Is water birth bad for baby?
If you'd like to catch up on the first part, please follow here.

GBS stands for Group B Streptococcus and can be worrying for pregnant women who are found to have some in their gut (mums are then called GBS carriers). In fact, up to 41% of women are carriers and 1 in 2 children born from these mothers will themselves be colonized by GBS. Out of all these children, it was estimated that 1% could develop complications that sometimes can be life-threatening (1 in 10).

When researching for answers, I came accross an article saying that it was 'bad'; however, what is the truth in this since many professionals strongly disagree.
Interestingly one of them brought forward an article on the risk of GBS infection during water birth:

This US paper stated that there was a 300% lower rate of early onset GBS infection when babies were born in water (and without using antibiotic prophylaxis) compared with babies born on dry land (both hospitals) - when looking at uncomplicated pregnancy (what are GBS' pregnancy complications?).

In the UK, pregnant women are not routinely screened for GBS (NHS)

The article concluded that if there is a risk of early onset GBS, the risk may be lowered by encouraging the mother to give birth in a warm water pool without antibiotics (effect of antibiotics at birth coming soon).

Another 2007 study showed that GBS-carrier mums who gave birth in the water - as opposed to laboured in the water and got out before the big push - contaminated the water pool with their GBS much more, nevertheless there were fewer of their children colonized by GBS!

In conclusion, for now we can say that water birth has not been shown to influence baby's gut early microbiota and it may even have a protective effect for babies at risk of GBS infection.

Do you know if you are a GBS carrier?

If you'd like to share your thoughts or stories, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment, I'd love to read them.

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Scientific articles on GBS here and here

Calorie labels aren't the same value for everyone

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Here is one from my blog 'My Bugs and I' I really wanted to share with you as we've addressed the subject of calories somewhere else:

We are not all equal when it comes to food. We’ve known this for a few years now, some people are just not equipped with the best genes. However, it seems that we may have missed a major player in the digestion equation, namely our microbiota.

Our gut microbiota have a formidable secondary role in extracting energy from food that ends up undigested in our gut.

Having passed through the small intestine, it is then our microbes’ turn to chew leftovers and extract as many calories as possible from them for their, as well as for our, benefit.

But, knowing that microbiota species identities are different from person to person, is extracting calories from food a unique and tailored process for each one of us?



Indeed, some of these micro-organisms are just better than others. Peter Turnbaugh was a PhD student when he conducted an experiment on mice that would change the way scientists think of calories-in/calories-out:

What he did was simple enough, he transferred the gut germs of obese mice into lean germ-free mice (let’s call them Batch O), he also transferred the gut germs of normal lean mice into lean germ-free mice (Batch L). He then fed Batch O and L with exactly the same food. Two weeks later, Batch O had gained a lot more weight than Batch L. Since he used recipient mice with no germs that could influence the results, the effect was directly linked to the germs from obese mice (see figure, excuse the mice's coat colours please).

Turnbaugh's experiment in 2006

Turnbaugh calculated that Batch O was getting 2% more calories from food because the germs from obese mice were better at extracting energy. For each 100 calories Batch L would get, Batch O would get 102 calories. Not much of a difference but think about it in the long-term: it all adds up!

Other experiments have been conducted in humans that reach the same conclusion:

It is our gut microbial content that determines how much energy we extract from food – Do you want to tweet this? 

This has some serious implications, imagine food labels for example: a 145 calories chocolate cookie may mean 148 for someone with an unfortunate set of gut bacteria super good at extracting energy.

This said, the set of microbiota that we are hosting is directly influenced by our day-to-day dietary habits. For example, someone who is not used to eating fats will not harbour the germs that are good at extracting energy from it, so the fat will go through undigested; whereas someone who’s used to a high fat diet, has the ‘right’ set of germs to deal with fat and get the most out of it.

Effectively, it means that the odd cookie won’t affect a no-cookie diet person the way it will affect a cookie lover who indulges frequently in cookie eating.

But this is only the first step, calories in. Calories out is the next step.  All that energy that has been kindly extracted by our microbiota needs to have a purpose: either it is used immediately, or it is stored away for later use.

But that is another story…

Are you a calorie counter? Will you change your attitude towards food labels?

I’d love to read your thoughts, feel free to leave me a comment, I’d love to read them.

The fascinating results from Peter Turnbaugh were published in the famous Nature paper in 2006 (yep, and we’re only catching up now!). Although it is unfairly hidden behind a pay wall, you can read its abstract here.

Why do I always feel so sh!t?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Feeling sluggish? Depressed, sad, longing for sunny days? I'm with you on that one!! Winter feels so long and summer so short! Especially this year with all these weather changes, and when is actually winter now? In Spring? OK, let's stop the rant now and see why I have this unstoppable need for ranting...

Winter blues, called SAD for Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a seasonal depression and mood variation known to be related to how much sunlight you receive. Your mood is influenced by a complexed relationship between sunlight, melatonin (sleep hormone) and serotonin (awake AND good mood hormone).

Winter Blues 

As the dark hours increase during winter, our body increases levels of melatonin, leaving less hours for the body to increase its serotonin levels. Whereas during summer, serotonin levels increase when you are exposed to bright light making you feel in a better mood!

Indeed it is well known that bright light therapy can bring quick benefits to people with depression or SAD because light affects the balance between melatonin and serotonin

The truth behind detox plans

My Dear Sexy Readers,

This is a topic that I covered about 4 years ago and unfortunately it is still true nowadays as this year again, after our multiple binge eating and drinking, we are being bombarded by those so-called Detox treatments!!!

Our body full of toxins needs to be purified using creams, brushes, special vitamin pills, food supplements, teas, etc.

Getting rid of internal or external toxins

Externally

Pollution particles accumulate on your skin and hair; detox gels/creams/pads help get rid of those impurities.

Companies sell you products that are made with special ingredients to detoxify your skin and hair. But if you look at the composition of those detox shower gels and special shampoos, you will see that the main active ingredients will always be the same as normal shampoos', i.e. a combination of detergent/foaming agent such as Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate with some derived glycerol compound for the texture, some fragrance, and preservatives such as paraben.

In 2010, the Voice of Young Science Network compiled a report analysing 15 products found on shelves of our major UK supermarkets and pharmacies. They called company sales representatives or advisors and asked them on what basis these specific products were efficient in detoxifying our body, they all admitted they weren't.

These products rely one one infallible mechanism: our body's own detoxifying system:

Let's explore our skin

Skin structure

Our skin is a fantastically well-made barrier: it consists of three main layers, each with its own unique function and purpose. 

The outermost layer, the epidermis is the key to the skin barrier. Made up of overlapping layers of dry cells, the epidermis helps keep moisture in the body and vital nutrients in and damaging substances and elements out.

Think about all the elements and substances you are exposed to every day, such as chemicals, pathogens and sunlight. The human skin does a good job of blocking out all these undesirable substances and forces. And all this happens around the clock, on a level so small you can't even see it.

Internally

The selling point of many products is that we absorb damaging toxins through food and drink. Those detoxifying pills target the build up of toxins inside our organs and help them flushing them out. Or according to representatives from companies that were interrogated by VYSN, toxins are stored in fatty acids and our body has difficulty breaking down those deposits.

Of course with all those detox pills, it will always be recommended to have a healthy low sugar low salt diet and drink plenty of water!!

Now, I'll hear you say, well of course you'll feel better if you stop binge drinking and eat healthy food!

Exactly, that's the point! Our body is perfectly capable of behaving by itself without the need for magic pills. Four organs are responsible for the detoxification of our body: the liver, the kidneys, the intestinal tract and the skin (see above)

Let's have a look at our liver - This chapter has now been extensively written HERE and HERE

Photo from HERE

Among others, our liver is

• processing digested food from the intestine
• controlling levels of fats, amino acids and glucose in the blood 
• combating infections in the body 
• clearing the blood of particles and infections including bacteria 
• neutralising and destroying drugs and toxins 
• manufacturing bile 
• storing iron, vitamins and other essential chemicals 
• breaking down food and turning it into energy 
• manufacturing, breaking down and regulating numerous hormones including sex hormones 
• making enzymes and proteins which are responsible for most chemical reactions in the body, for example those involved in blood clotting and repair of damaged tissues.

So the liver's roles in detoxification are to filter the blood from toxins and to convert fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble toxins that will be excreted via the kidneys (and then urine) or via the bile (which also works as a bacteria killing detergent).

And those roles don't need no help from pills!!!

Now, these past few years, we have been witnesses of a very disturbing fashion, namely colon cleansing!!!

Colonic Therapy

This colonic irrigation is intended to remove feces and non specific toxins lining the walls of our intestinal tract that are responsible for general ill-health.

But if our body was accumulating toxins on its gut walls, it wouldn't be able to absorb essential nutrients, we'd all be starving to death!

So one of the claims of the beneficial effects of colon therapy being a help to losing weight is self contradictory!

Unfortunately, as well as being complete BS (and I don't mean to insist on the S), irrigating your colon is more damaging that anything else:

Colon cleansing may disturb the delicate but essential balance between bacteria and natural chemicals in the bowell and therefore may interfere with the colon functions. It also disrupts fluid and the balance in electrolytes leading to dehydration and cardiac problems.

Less unintended effect is also the inability to defecate without assistance!!!

Also, on rare occasions, gastrointestinal perforation for incorrect insertion and amoebic infections from poorly sterilized equipment have been reported.

If you really want to "cleanse" your colon , simple fact is eating a healthy diet high in fibers does the trick!!

Conclusion:

From HERE

Healthy low sugar, low salt, high fibers diet, and drinking lots of water is and will always be the best and cheapest Detox plan you'll find on the market!!!

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Pre-launch party for My Bugs and I

My Dear Sexy Readers,

My Bugs and I will be live in less than a month and I wanted to share with you a little bit more information about this new venture in the form of a Giveaway!!!

A fantastic Kindle Fire tablet is to be won, and I know for a fact it is a fantastic little gem as I have purchased one for myself... Hmmm for my son, I mean... so I could download Hollyoaks during my daily commute... Hmmm I mean so I could download cartoons and games for my 3 year old for him to play while daddy and I are having lunch in a quiet restaurant... Yes, you've guessed it, possibilities are endless with this little device, I luuuurve it!!!

Go over HERE for a chance to win this beautiful Fire

Anyoooh, for a chance to win it, please go over to my new blog www.MyBugsAndI.com where you'll be able to enter the giveaway with your FB or email log in details. Alternatively, you can click on the Giveaway tab right here on Science is So Sexy ;)

Good luck and see you soon for more Sexy Science,

All will be revealed...

My Dear Sexy Readers,

My sincere apologies for not posting much this year. As you can expect, life has been absolutely hectic: I changed jobs, twice!, I went on holiday, twice!, my son got chicken pox, once! - but at the same time as his best friend so I guess I can say twice as we kept them together for company.

As it seems I do everything in double this year, I have to confess to something else.. I've been secretly preparing for the launch of a second Science blog...

Fear not, it will still be a nice easy to read Science blog, but the content will focus on only one subject: our microbiota!

If you remember, I already talked about our gut microbes a while back, and it's really that research I had done at the time that sparked my interest for our microbiota.

During the months that followed, I read more and more articles on the role of our gut microbes on our health and sanity. If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed the fact that I mentioned quite a few time how excited I was about this new field of research.

Recently, I read a truly inspiring book called 10% human:



From the first page, I knew that I was holding something special in my hand - or rather my kindle was containing an amazing file! I devoured page after page - not sure what the kindle equivalent is - and decided that everyone should know about the amazing therapeutic potential that represents the modulation of our gut microbes, and I should do something about it! As a writer, a blog seemed the obvious solution.

I hope you are as excited as I am, I can't wait to share it with you.

Launch will be on Monday 4th January 2016

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Shelf Life - a Collection for Curious Minds

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Roberto from the Department of Marketing at the American Museum of Natural History. He was telling me about their new original series called Shelf Life which is on the history and importance of scientific collections. Curious as I am, I clicked, clicked clicked and discovered these videos, watched them with big wide eyes the same way my son discovers new episodes of Peter Rabbit!

Shelf Life is a collection for curious minds—opening doors, pulling out drawers, and taking the lids off some of the incredible, rarely-seen items in the American Museum of Natural History - Tweet This

Shelf Life is a monthly feature and 3 episodes have been published so far.
Here is their first one:



What I found interesting in this first instalment is the fact that they have 200 scientists, working on 33 million items classified in anthropology, paleontology, vertebrate or invertebrates, rocks and gems but they also have a massive collection of frozen DNA-containing tissue available to scientists all over the world. More surprisingly, they have 12 meteorites from mars!!!! But also, the astrophycisists are amassing massive digital data from the skies.
It truly is a 21st Century Museum Collection!

In the second episode, my highlight was "The wonder part of these collections is not so much in the object but in the relationship in what they tell us in a sophisticated way."

Their next episode is premiering on February the 17th. If you are interested in getting updates, you can subscribe to their Youtube channel. I can't wait to discover what they have in their drawers :)

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Website
amnh.org/shelflife

Myths about Cancer

My Dear Sexy Reader,

Today, I've decided to be a bit lazy in the writing department. But it's only because in doing my research I came across this article on emedecinehealth.com that I thought was perfect.
The original article is actually part of a Cancer file where you can found amazing information on about anything you've always wondered about cancer. Here it is:

Cancer Myths and Reality 

Myth #1
Progress for people with advanced cancer has been so slow because there is a conspiracy between the American Medical Association and drug companies. Some people with cancer and their families think doctors are keeping the cure for cancer under wraps so that money can be made from cancer treatments.

Reality #1

Does any reasonable person think that a cure for cancer would remain secret for long? Obviously not.

• Now, let's think about this for a moment. Nurses get cancer. Pharmacists get cancer. Physicians get cancer, as do family members of these professionals. With the Internet and high-speed modems, it is inconceivable that some scientist laboring in isolation in a bunker someplace will have a cure for this problem.
• The World Wide Web can be your best source for sound information (but also at times a repository for some of the worst). A cure for cancer does not exist in cyberspace, or in a clinic in Mexico, or with a healer in the Philippines.

Myth #2

We can put a man on the moon. We can send a rocket around Jupiter. Why can't we cure cancer?

Reality #2 

This question underscores a common misbelief that cancer is one disease. In fact, cancer is a group of hundreds of diseases. Each disease has a unique biological record, and each of which may be caused by very different circumstances. One "magic bullet" will not eradicate all types of cancers.

• A major study from the University of Chicago stated that the survival from cancer is no different now compared with 30 years ago. This is an extreme view because, in fact, people with cancer are living longer and clearly have a better quality of life than they did a generation ago. Today, 2 of every 3 of those diagnosed with cancer are alive more than 5 years following their diagnosis. In 1970, this was only true for about 1 in 3.
• We know this because some cancers are indeed curable, even in the far advanced stages as with testicular cancer, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkins lymphomas, acute leukemia in both children and adults, and in a few other types of cancer.

Myth #3

If we can only hold on for a few more months, a cure will be on the horizon and all will be well.

Reality #3 

Although there have been spectacular advances in the treatment of cancer and although people are living far longer today than in any time in history, it is not reasonable to expect that, within the next years, there will be a "heat-seeking missile" or some magical vaccine to annihilate cancer. Progress against this dreaded group of diseases has been agonizingly slow, but it is moving forward in the right direction.

• Clinical trials and conventional therapies hold promise, but cure is not possible for most people with advanced cancer.
• But what is possible is a better quality of life because we now have far better treatments for pain, nausea, and vomiting than we did just a few years ago.

Of course, there are many more myths surrounding the complexities of cancer. If you are interested, feel free to leave me a comment with the myth or the info you may have heard and are not sure if it's true.

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

This article originally appears here:

Cancer: What you need to know

What are superfoods?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Thank you all for the amazing feedback I got from you on the different social networks about my latest article "What's a gluten-free diet?".

Right after the holiday season, we all love a good detox program to purify our body and soul from all our Christmas sins. Some of us take the plunge and go for the latest fad diet. Whereas others feel they got the whole Healthy Diet with particular attention to superfoods.

But what are those Superfoods everyone seem to talk about these days? And most importantly is there any truth, medical or theoretical evidence that these foods are Super?

What are Superfoods?

Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are considered to be especially beneficial for our health and well-being.

Superfood Berries

However the name 'Superfood' has been disputed by many saying that it is a non-medical term used in marketing with little scientific evidence for it. The term itself has been prohibited in the European Union since 2007 unless it is accompanied by a medical notice approved by an medically and scientifically accredited name or organisation.

What are these superfoods?

Berries, nuts and seeds in general, dark green vegetables (such as spinach, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli), citrus fruits, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, vegetables with bright, dark, or intense colors (such as beets and their greens, and sweet potatoes), many legumes (peanuts, lentils, beans, raw cocoa), and whole grains as a group.

You might say, 'Well, if these are good foods to begin with, foods that could be part of a healthy diet, what's wrong with naming them Superfoods?'

Tweet This - If these are good foods, part of a healthy diet, what's wrong with naming them Superfoods?

And in essence, there's nothing wrong with it if these are actually eaten as part of a healthy diet and not popped in your mouth in a pill form!!!

Green tea leaves from Chengdu

For example, green tea is well known for its superfood quality as it is a superoxidant and contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, and caffeine. Many weight loss supplements include green tea extracts but there is currently insufficient scientific evidence that consumption of green tea or its specific extract EGCG has any health benefit.  The FDA itself sent a warning letter in 2013 about false advertising and health claims concerning the effects of green tea consumption.

Why are they called Superfoods?

Many Superfoods contain natural chemicals that have been shown to have positive health effects in laboratory studies. These include antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

It’s certainly true that a healthy diet can help to reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes but it is unlikely that any single food will make a major difference on its own.  

Cancer Research UK note that Superfoods are often promoted as having an ability to prevent or cure diseases, including cancer; they caution, 'you shouldn’t rely on Superfoods to reduce the risk of cancer. They cannot substitute for a generally healthy and balanced diet'.

Fighting Cancer with Superfoods?

From HERE

There is some lab data that show that some of these ingredients can affect cancer cells in a laboratory setting, including killing them and stopping them from growing. But unfortunately jumping to the conclusion that eating those nutrient-rich foods can affect your cancer outcome is a biiiiiiig leap!

First of all, your body is a complex organism and the interactions between the food we eat and our bodies are much more complex than those between a purified chemical and cells in a tube.
Secondly, food is itself complex: An isolated chemical may behave very differently in a test tube than when it is eaten as part of food.
Last but not least, dose as always is of paramount importance. Even eating very large portions of a ‘superfood’ might not provide enough of a specific ingredient to a sufficient amount to have any effect on our health. For example, garlic contains a nutrient alleged to help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. But you'd have to eat up to 28 cloves a day to match the doses used in the lab!

Is it bad though?

As part of a healthy diet, the short answer is not at all. With everything though, dosing and pacing are essential. You won't get a quick fix by gorging yourself on Superfoods, you won't cure any disease and your disease risk may not be that much reduced if you are already on a healthy diet. If anything, an exclusive diet might put you at risk of deficiency of other essential nutrients.
Some foods when eaten in large quantities can put you at risk of toxicities - think fish and mercury - for example, some seaweeds contain natural toxins which are thought by some to increase risk of cancer and liver damage.

Do you like your Superfoods? Do you include them in your diet on purpose?

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

References and further reading

Wikipedia
Cancer Research UK - Superfoods
NHS - Superfoods

What's a gluten-free diet?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

First of all, I would like to wish you a fantastic New Year!!!!

A lot of people may feel that January is a good month to work on their New Year resolutions.

One of these may be to go gluten-free to help their body cope with the excess food they have accumulated during the holiday season.

Many of you will hopefully detect that the above sentence contains 3 non evidence-based facts*, but as I typed it, I felt strangely liberated like I could do something that would cancel out my overindulgence and Christmas sins!

I'm a greater believer though in knowing the truth and understanding our body (HERE), how it works (HERE and HERE) and how things we ingest (HERE, HERE or HERE) or slather on it do to us (HERE and HERE).

So if you'd like to know the scientific truth about gluten and gluten-free diets that supermarkets, unscrupulous nutritionists and restaurant owners purposefully don't share with you, please keep on reading... (Well, yes of course it's a new and very lucrative business...)

Did you Know? #11- Neurotransmitters and hormones

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Today a very short sexy story part of our Did you Know? series. I was writing about stress and how our body copes with it. There was obviously a lot of mention of hormones and neurotransmitters and I thought "Hang on, are we clear on what these are?" 

What is COPD?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Do you know what COPD stands for? I think it's one of those things, if you don't know anyone affected by it, it's highly unlikely you would know about it. However the disease is fairly common unfortunately (estimated 3 million of people in the UK!) and has been attributed its own World Awareness Day - 19th November 2014.
Worldwide, COPD affects 329 million people or nearly 5% of the population.
In 2012, it ranked as the third-leading cause of death, killing over 3 million people.

World Diabetes Day - 14th November

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Did you Know that the World Diabetes Day is observed on the 14th of November?
Now this month is rich of disease awareness campaigns, so why should you bother reading about Diabetes?
Well first of all, as I wrote previously, it's very important to understand what is diabetes and what is the difference between the different types of diabetes:

Talk Nerdy to me

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Today, I would like to share with you this TED video:

Melissa Marshall brings a message to all scientists (from non-scientists): We're fascinated by what you're doing. So tell us about it — in a way we can understand. In just 4 minutes, she shares powerful tips on presenting complex scientific ideas to a general audience.

"Make sure that we can see that your Science is Sexy"  

Click to Tweet

The Scientist...

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Today's post is not about Science facts but Science itself!
As a medical copywriter, I get to work on diverse creative pieces of communications as well as for our company's blog SoreThumbThinking! For that platform, I get to explore my inner thoughts on creativity and advertising. Recently, I wrote a piece on Science as a mean for influential creativity.
I thought, well I'm sure my Sexy Readers would be interested to read something different :)
So here it is:

What is Stress?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

First of all, I would like to thank Mica from Science Koekje for her blog lovin' and mentioning Science So Sexy in her latest blog article. If you don't know her yet, she's a beauty blogger from Germany based in Belgium (and I shall add "for Love"). You, my Sexy readers, might be interested in her review on her first Belgian BirchBox.

What is Psoriasis?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I don't know about you my Sexy guys but I feel like once Halloween is done and dusted we are overwhelmed with special events in November!

But for now, let's talk about this week's awareness campaign!

This week (1-8 November) is not about cancer, it's about raising awareness for a condition that affects millions of us around the world: PSORIASIS.

Trick or Treat - A UNICEF Halloween initiative

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I'm sure I don't need to remind you that today is Halloween!!!

If you are in the US, this is a great alternative to the unhealthy trick or treat tradition:

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began in 1950 as a way to help kids who need more than candy. Since then, children all over America have gone door-to-door on Halloween with UNICEF collection boxes, calling out, "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF!" They have raised more than $170 million for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF since 1950.

Trick or Treat for UNICEF

Now, this is not the usual science topic I treat you to ;) But as you can see on the image above, one the thing you can help raise money for is Vaccination kits for children.

This gives me a fantastic opportunity to let you know or remind you if you've seen it before that Seran's infographic on children immunisation programme is up.

This is another thing you can do this Halloween, you can share it, you can tweet it, you can +'s it - Help dismiss some of the claims anti-vaxxers make to rally hesitant parents.

It's becoming a cruel fact that we cannot rely on our herd immunity anymore so our children need our help to build it back up so all of them, vaccinated or not (for medical reasons or others) are protected!

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,